Robotic Unscrambler Systems for High-Mix New Zealand Bottling Lines

On most New Zealand bottling lines, the constraint is not top speed. It is the number of different containers the line has to run and how long it takes to swap between them. Our domestic market rarely supports long runs of a single format, and export variants add further formats on top. The result is a line specified for a peak rate it seldom sustains, losing its real capacity to changeovers.

Bottle unscrambling is where that shows up first. It is the point at which loose containers have to be brought into a single orientation before filling, and it is often the last step on a smaller line still being done by hand. Pace has released a new generation of Robotic Bottle Unscrambler machines built around format range and changeover time rather than headline throughput, and they are worth understanding separately from the established Omni-Line and Pharma-Line ranges.

Why changeover, not top speed, sets the real line rate

A machine rated at 600 containers per minute delivers that figure only while it is running. If a change takes an hour and the line runs four formats a week, the lost time is measured in shifts rather than minutes. The useful questions are how many formats one machine can hold, how long a change takes, and whether it needs tooling swapped or simply a recipe selected.

This is where the newer Pace machines differ from earlier designs. Automatic and tool-free changeover is treated as a specified feature with a stated time, rather than something left to how quickly an operator can work.

The VRS-ADAPT robotic bottle unscrambler and orienter

The VRS-ADAPT combines ABB delta robots with Pace’s BAO orienter technology to unscramble randomly presented containers and set them to the correct orientation for the next machine. Throughput scales with the number of robots fitted: up to 120 containers per minute with one robot, up to 230 with two, and up to 340 with three. A line can therefore be specified for its present volume and have capacity added later without replacing the machine.

The point of interest for a high-mix plant is the container range. The VRS-ADAPT handles containers from 10 mL to 9.5 litres on identical tooling, covering rounds, rectangles, squares and ovals, with or without handles, along with off-centre neck bottles and trigger sprays. Materials include PET, HDPE, PP, PS, PVC and spiral wound fibre, extending to thinner-walled and soft-touch containers. An optional automatic changeover system allows format changes at the push of a button without replacing tooling. The frame is stainless steel with an integrated electrical enclosure, and controls are available in Beckhoff or Allen-Bradley.

The OMNI-IR linear unscrambler and BAO-IR orienter

The OMNI-IR is the linear alternative, running at up to 600 containers per minute and pairing with the BAO-IR orienter, which handles orientation between 180 and 400 containers per minute at 90, -90 and 180 degrees. It covers the same 10 mL to 9.5 litre span and can be configured for up to 25 container formats, with automatic changeovers in under five minutes.

Footprint matters on the kind of retrofit most New Zealand plants are doing, where the machine has to fit an existing building rather than the other way round. Nominal dimensions are 73 by 125 inches, roughly 1.85 by 3.18 metres, and Pace states this reduces installation area by up to 15 percent against its earlier unscrambler designs.

The BAO-IR can also be specified on its own where a line already unscrambles adequately but needs orientation added. It uses a servo-driven container turning station, runs at up to 450 bottles per minute, and offers 90, 180 and 270 degree rotation. Pace has moved it to an open-frame layout for maintenance access, with tool-free format adjustment.

Robotic or linear: choosing between them

The two approaches suit different problems, and the choice is usually settled by format range and awkwardness rather than speed:

Machine	Rated throughput	Best suited to
VRS-ADAPT	120-340 CPM by robot count	Wide format range on identical tooling; awkward containers; capacity added in stages
OMNI-IR with BAO-IR	Up to 600 CPM unscrambling, 180-400 CPM orienting	Higher sustained rates across a defined set of up to 25 formats, in a compact footprint
R-Line	Up to 240 CPM with two robots	Lines requiring pucks; robots insert directly into pucks or place onto conveyor
Omni-Line / Pharma-Line	Up to 650 bpm	Established high-throughput and pharmaceutical applications

Broadly, a robotic cell earns its place where the container mix is wide or difficult and the rate is moderate. A linear machine earns its place where the rate is high and the format set, while large, is known.

What to establish before specifying

A useful specification for an unscrambler starts with the format list rather than the line rate:

• Every container currently run, plus those planned, with material, shape, neck position and whether handles or triggers are fitted
• The realistic number of changeovers per week, and who performs them
• Sustained rate required at the unscrambler, which is usually below the filler’s rated speed
• Available floor area and whether the machine must fit an existing footprint
• Whether downstream equipment requires pucks or takes containers directly
• Washdown regime and the hygiene standard the surrounding line is held to

The list matters more than it first appears. A machine chosen on rate alone will meet its number and still lose the line time on every change.

Where unscrambling sits in the line

An unscrambler rarely arrives on its own. It feeds a filler and, downstream, a capper and labeller, and the value of correct orientation is realised at those machines rather than at the unscrambler. Consistently presented containers reduce jams and rejects at capping, where torque control depends on the closure meeting the neck squarely.

Advanced Packaging Systems supplies Pace alongside Zalkin capping and Filtec filling and labelling equipment, so an unscrambler can be specified as part of a line rather than as an isolated machine. Pace and Zalkin are both part of the ProMach group.

Support in New Zealand

Advanced Packaging Systems is the New Zealand agent and the local point of contact for specification, installation support, operator training, spare parts and service from its Auckland facility. For a plant considering its first robotic unscrambler, the practical first step is a review of the container list against the machine options. Contact APS.

Frequently asked questions

What is a robotic unscrambler?

A robotic unscrambler uses robots, guided by vision, to pick randomly presented containers and place them upright and correctly oriented onto a conveyor or into pucks. It replaces the mechanical sorting elements of a conventional unscrambler with programmable handling, which is what allows a wide format range on one set of tooling.

How fast is the VRS-ADAPT?

Throughput depends on how many robots are fitted: up to 120 containers per minute with one, up to 230 with two, and up to 340 with three. Capacity can be increased later by adding robots rather than replacing the machine.

How long does a format changeover take?

Pace specifies automatic changeover in under five minutes for the OMNI-IR, and one-touch changeover without tooling replacement on the VRS-ADAPT when the optional automatic changeover system is fitted. Actual times on a given line should be confirmed during specification.

Can one machine run all of our bottles?

The OMNI-IR can be configured for up to 25 container formats, and the VRS-ADAPT covers 10 mL to 9.5 litres on identical tooling. Whether that covers a particular plant’s full list depends on the containers themselves, which is why the format list is the starting point for specification.

Do these machines suit pharmaceutical production?

Pace’s Pharma-Line range is designed specifically for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Where a robotic or IR-series machine is being considered for that environment, the hygiene and validation requirements should be assessed against the specific application.